Kuwait, the fattest country in the Middle East, blacklists foreigners with diabetes

Kuwait will stop granting residency permits to "unfit" foreigners who suffer from a range of non-infectious diseases, local media has reported.

Kuwait's ministry of health issued a list of almost two dozen chronic illnesses that will prevent expatriates from being allowed to live and work in the oil-rich Gulf state, local daily al-Watan reported on Tuesday.

"The list includes 22 diseases including irregular diabetes, irregular high blood pressure and cancer," health sources told the newspaper.

The sources said that other blacklisted conditions included "poor vision, having 'crossed eyes', kidney failure and walking with a 'limp'."

They added that the ban will likely draw criticism from human rights organisations.

On Thursday, the state-run Kuwait News Agency  issued a statement confirming that the ministry of health had produced a list of chronic diseases that would result in non-admission for work visas, in line with a 2001 GCC council decision.

Ministry official Majida al-Qattan said that expat workers will have to pass two medical examinations before being allowed to live in Kuwait.

Qattan said the move is aimed at reducing the cost of healthcare for foreign workers by ensuring that they are physically fit.

The report failed to publish the official list of prohibited conditions.

The move has been criticised on social media for being too heavy-handed.

"This is unbelievable! Diabetes and high blood pressure are the diseases of the era and are prevalent among people across the world. They do not prevent anyone from performing their work," said one Twitter user.

Other users hailed the move, arguing it would save the government money which could be spent on healthcare for Kuwaitis instead, 40 percent of whom suffer from diabetes.

According to the WHO, Kuwait has one of the region and the world's most obese people, with many of the local population suffering from obesity-related complications.

Kuwait already bars foreigners with infectious diseases, such as AIDS and Hepatitis, from entering the country.

Foreign workers make up two-thirds of Kuwait's total population of 4.5 million.